I can’t get enough of this song! When I get discouraged sometimes I listen to this song. Is it the tempo? Could it be the majesty of all these voices? Or perhaps the strength of the lyrics? All of the above! Ah, but there’s more… you see, first of all I happen to know that there are quite a few “trophies of grace” in the choir. By that I mean that there some people in the choir whose lives were so ruined by Satan that you would have said that they’re impossible, and that there’s no way their life will ever change. And without Christ, you would be absolutely correct. But with Christ, these street hardened New Yorker’s lives have been permanently turned around by God’s grace through fervent prayer. Take, for example, that guy that’s singing the lead in this song. His name is Calvin Hunt. Calvin was spending his entire paycheck on drugs. He even got so low at one point that he literally ended up living in a vacant doghouse. If you want to read a detailed account of how low Satan took him, it can be found in Jim Cymbala’s book, “Fresh Faith” starting on page 136. One night Calvin’s wife Miriam was at prayer meeting. The whole congregation was crying out in prayer to God on behalf of Calvin, not even knowing where he was. (I just have to interject my own heart’s cry here: Please, dear Lord, I want to be part of a powerful church like that!) As the congregation was pleading Calvin’s case before the Lord, Calvin burst through the back door of the church. He stood there looking over the crowd. He heard his name being called out in prayer all over the auditorium. Some were in tears as they prayed with their hands reaching toward heaven. Someone prayed, “O God, wherever Calvin Hunt is, bring him into this building!” The pastor in charge looked up and declared, “Thank you Jesus! Here he is! Calvin fell to his knees and begged God to set him free. Now you can see why he sings with fervor “Nothing is Impossible with God”. Many others have given their life to Christ because of Calvin’s testimony.

The saddest part of this story is that this should not be unusual. But everywhere I look, we have faithless, powerless, prayerless churches that never expect the impossible from God. I can’t find a church that makes it a priority to cry out to God on behalf of broken lives, families, marriages, the sick, the sin sick, homeless, and those in trouble. Instead, I’ve seen church after church (at least 28 Baptist, some Christian,some Wesleyan, Assembly of God and community churches) that have had their focus on music, entertainment, fog machines and stage lighting, buildings, debt, rules, everything but what Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). Effectual, fervent prayer connected with faith and the awesome power of the Holy Spirit is the need of each child of God and every true church on the planet. Who will take up this charge?

Maybe now you’ll understand why this song is such a blessing to me. By the way, Calvin went to be with his Savior in December of 2009 at age 52. What if that church had not prayed???

Here’s a link to the news of his passing:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/gospelsoundcheck/2010/01/gospel-artist-calvin-hunt-pass.html

-Larry